The use of medical equipment and monitors to determine the condition of a subject or patient in the medical profession is increasing. Typically, such equipment includes one or more sensors to measure a characteristic of the patient and a medical device, such as a monitoring device. The sensors are placed in communications with the relevant piece of medical equipment to allow the signal detected by the sensor to be transmitted to the medical equipment. The signal detected is in many cases an electrical signal.
For example, electrocardiography (ECG or EKG) is the recording of the electrical activity of the heart. The output, which comprises a line timed graph tracing of the transmitted electrical activity of the heart, is referred to an electrocardiogram. In operation, several electrodes are placed on the body of the patient, typically on the skin of the chest, arms and legs. The electrodes are generally secured to the patient's skin with an adhesive pad. Each electrode is in electrical communication with the first end of a wire and the second end of the wire is in electrical communication with the electrocardiography equipment. As such, the electrical activity of the heart is detected by the electrodes and transformed by the electrocardiography equipment into a waveform graphed tracing for review by a medical professional. Typically, the electrocardiography equipment is placed next to the patient or is placed on the person of the patient (such as in a portable pouch). The optimal lengths of the wires that electrically connect the electrodes and the equipment vary depending on the particular application and the individual body size. However, in most cases, the equipment manufacturer provides cables or wires of a fixed length, typically 2-3 feet in length.
In many situations, the length of the wires is greater than required, resulting in excess length of the wires. This excess length can be detrimental. For example, due to the excess length of the wires, it is common for the wires to become tangled and unsteady. Furthermore, entanglement of the wires can cause the electrodes to become detached from the skin, requiring intervention from a medical professional to reattach the electrode. In such an instance, mistakes can be made reattaching the electrodes to the original configuration. These events consume time and cause delays in performing procedures, tests and monitoring the EKG.
The excess length can also cause the wires to move randomly when in use. When the wires are moving randomly, electrical interference and artifacts increase. Destabilization of the wires changes electrode adherence to the skin, which increases artifacts from muscles or limb movement and increases artifact from adipose tissue movement.
The excess length of the wire may lead to tangling as the patient moves causing the wire and the electrodes to become detached from the skin. This requires intervention from the central monitor to the alert caregiver of a possible emergency or intervention from a medical professional to reattach the electrode. The excess length and instability of wires also causes hindrance of movement to the patients.
Furthermore, the excess length of the wires may become entangled with the wires of lines of other pieces of medical equipment, exacerbating the effects discussed above. In addition, for the post-operative patient, increased pain occurs when the length and weight of wires move on the skin of the chest and abdominal incisions that may be tender after surgery.
The issues above cause a number of undesired results such as increased anxiety to the patient, interference with the transmitted electrical signals, artifacts on the EKG record, requirement for additional testing, incorrect diagnoses, increased billing or denial of insurance reimbursements and test performance delays. The foregoing contributes to difficulty reading to report the correct rhythm or analyze the rhythm changes. As a result, medical care may be impacted.
It would be beneficial to provide a device for controlling the length of the wires that connect the sensor to the medical equipment. Such a device would significantly reduce or eliminate the problems known with the prior art devices. The present disclosure provides a new apparatus for connecting the electrode and a piece of medical equipment that allows the weight and length of each individual wire to be independently controlled and thereby eliminates the problems previously mentioned.